With a heavy heart, I said, “I am sorry. I greatly value your friendship. I hope this will not change things between us.”
“Leave me alone.” She buried her head in the pillow.
My heart sank even further. I did not want to lose her as a friend. I slowly stood and looked back one last time before I left.
Elizabeth was waiting in the hall outside her room. “How is she faring?”
“She needs a good friend like you.” I put my hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder.
She nodded in understanding.
Hector rounded the corner and spotted us. “There you are, My Lady. The last of the Elders have arrived. There is a meeting in the Great Hall. Your presence is requested.” He looked to Elizabeth. “In fact, we should all be there.”
“Thank you, Hector.” To Elizabeth I added, “Tell Mary. I will see you in the Great Hall.”
Chapter 61 London 1262 A.D
Once surrounded by the large crowd in the Great Hall, I felt embarrassed about my breeches and simple tunic. Everyone was dressed to the hilt. Elijah stood to the right of his father and on his father’s left stood Lord Alexandru. The Chastellains each wore large golden crowns that sparkled with brightly colored stones. They were draped in red robes with gold trim. This was excessive, even for Lord Chastellain. It must have been to make their role as the head of the Court incontestable.
King Chastellain and his prince, I thought. Elijah did look the part of a proper noble who would one day be king — if his father had not been immortal. I must be mad for not loving him. I shook my head to push the annoying thought away.
Lord Chastellain was taken aback when he spotted me. He had never seen me dressed in men’s clothes. This put him at a loss for words, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I gave him a confident smirk.
The lord shook his head. “My dear Lady, would you be so kind as to tell the Court what happened to you last night?”
I nodded and went on to tell them about the two men who had attacked me.
“This is the first time Ramdasha’s men have traveled this far north and attacked one of us,” Chastellain declared. “This goes beyond a small act of defiance. This is a declaration of war.”
I did not like the sound of this. It seems … unwarranted. “My Lord, if I may.” I bowed to him. I was not smart enough to know when to keep my mouth shut but I was smart enough to know that small gestures of respect went a long way with the lord. In fact, such decorum was required.
He looked pleased and gestured for me to continue.
“This was most likely an act of personal revenge for my betrayal and escape from Constantinople, not an act of outright defiance toward the High Court of Elders.”
“Ramdasha knows how important you are to us.” He glanced at his son. “He might as well have attacked one of the Elders.” In a loud, deep voice that made it clear my time to speak was over — and made me flinch — he boomed, “Bring forth the prisoner.”
Two guards appeared, dragging Orrick between them. Chastellain towered over the prisoner, who was forced to his knees in front of him. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Orrick stared up at the lord — no answer.
In one swift motion, Elijah stepped forward and issued a deafening blow to Orrick. There was a loud crack and Orrick’s head was thrown violently to the side. Blood trickled out of his mouth.
I stepped forward to … to do what? Was I going to defend the man who would have killed me if he could have? I stopped myself. It must have been a natural instinct to protect the defenseless.
Orrick put his head down. “We came only for the girl. Under Lord Ramdasha’s rule, she was to be put to death. We came to carry out his orders,” he muttered.
Elijah wound his fists into Orrick’s tunic and proceeded to lift him so his knees no longer touched the ground.
“Ramdasha has no jurisdiction here and he too must follow the rule of the High Court of Elders. You, and your lord, are traitors.”
Elijah’s voice was dark and dangerous. I could clearly see his father in him. I took a step back. Who is this man? Did I truly know Elijah? I was not sure.
He threw Orrick to the ground and drew his sword, placing it to Orrick’s neck. “Do you have anything else to tell us?” Elijah demanded.
Orrick put his shaking hands up. “No, no, My Lord.”
“Then you are of no further use.” Elijah raised his sword.
I looked away.
“Wait,” I heard Lord Chastellain say. “Perhaps he still has a purpose. The Court must decide the prisoner’s fate.”
Elijah gave a hard stare to his father and reluctantly put his sword back in its sheath. Instantly, two guards stepped forward to take control of the prisoner.
“Perhaps we should send him back to Ramdasha with a message and without his right hand,” Alexandru suggested.
This sparked much debate amongst the Elders.
Finally, Lord Chastellain announced the decision to the crowd. “From this day forth anyone wearing this symbol” — he held up the green armband I had taken from Orrick — “is to be killed or taken prisoner and brought to me. The attacker is to be beheaded and his head sent to Ramdasha as a warning.”
Orrick’s shoulders slumped at the news of his impending death.
“This is what happens to people who defy the High Court of Elders,” Lord Chastellain concluded.
There were cheers from the audience. The lord nodded to Elijah. With one smooth motion Elijah severed Orrick’s head from his shoulders. It happened so quickly that I did not have time to look away. With his free hand, Elijah gracefully caught the head by the hair and held it up to the crowd, which produced more cheers.
How barbaric, I thought. Yet it was I who had beheaded the other attacker. How is that any better? This fact complicated my moral judgment of Elijah killing Orrick.
Lord Chastellain went on to describe new sanctions and rules. Combat training was to be greatly increased and was made mandatory. When vampires traveled outside of coven lairs, it was to be done in pairs at the very least, if not in groups and we were to be armed at all times.
This all seems logical, I thought. I understand Ramdasha’s desire for revenge. I too had such thoughts. Unlike me, Ramdasha’s anger had festered over the past year while mine had waned. Instead of letting it go, he wasted time and manpower trying to hunt me down. This was not a shrewd political move on his part. But then again, who am I? I was a poor deacon’s daughter, not a political leader.
Still, to risk further angering the Court in order to get revenge on one person is asinine. He must have thought his men would succeed in killing me. The Court would not have known what to make of my disappearance. I shivered at the thought. Ramdasha will attack when his forces are strong enough. Perhaps he is ready for war and he’s provoking the Court.
Between Mary and the beheading, I was frustrated and wanted to take action. I slipped out of the Great Hall and headed to the training room. The Elders were clearing everyone out for a private meeting anyway.
One thing was for sure; Ramdasha’s vengeful nature meant that he would not take kindly to receiving the head of one of his men. I thought of Rosalia for the first time in a long time. She too would be heartbroken and angry to learn that we had killed Orrick. I could see the cycle of hatred spiraling out of control. Once in motion, this cycle would be difficult to stop. There would be more attacks and most likely, as Elijah had predicted, war. I needed to be prepared to fight. While I could obviously defend myself, I needed to keep improving. My life depended on it.
Chapter 62 London 1262 A.D
I took my frustration out on a dummy, cutting it to pieces with a broadsword when my blow was blocked. I followed the sword that was interlocked with mine to find Elijah smiling at me. I relaxed. He slid his sword down mine. With the slightest movement of his wrist, he hooked his sword under my hand guard and flicked my weapon away. The sword clanked loudly as it came to rest on the stone floor.
He pointed his weapon at m
y chest. “Never let your guard down.”
“But it is only you.”
He lowered his sword and stepped close.
I was in no mood to get lost in his wonderful — sad eyes. I was confused about him. There was clearly another side to him and I did not know if I liked it. I stepped back and looked away, in order to reduce the power that his gaze had on me.
“That was quite a show you put on in the Great Hall.” I posed it as a question.
“Come. Let’s get out of here.” He looked around at the others who were also training. “So we can talk.”
I followed him out of the training room. We strolled down a deserted street, our swords hung at our sides. We did not leave them behind as we previously might have.
“You understand that I had to kill the prisoner?” he asked.
I shrugged, as I was not at all sure that Elijah had had to kill Orrick.
He stepped in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders to keep me from avoiding his gaze. “He tried to kill you. Don’t tell me you feel sorry for him.”
I frowned.
His sly crooked smile crossed his lips. “Did you not take one of their heads as well?”
“Yes but I was defending myself and he was far from defenseless.” There was a scar on my hip to prove it.
Elijah nodded. “My father is the ruler of the vampire world. If I am to be seen as a worthy successor, if something were to happen to my father, then I must be willing to take action. I have to protect my people. If we are to remain in power, we must punish treason swiftly and harshly.”
I shook my head. “But you did it so easily.”
“Aye, the fact that it was you he attacked made it all the easier. I have in the past and will in the future, if needed, kill to keep the peace and keep our kind underground. I fight this war every day.”
“That sounds like hell.” I said. No wonder Elijah is sad most of the time.
My thoughts strayed to Ramdasha, He will stop at nothing. However, there must be a better way to lead people than severe punishment. Father believed that good leaders used love and compassion to guide others. I felt a spark of hope ignite inside me — a new purpose.
“Besides, what kind of man would I be if I did not defend you?” The passionate look in his eyes was unsettling.
“It is not your job to defend me, Elijah. I can take care of myself.”
“Thankfully, you can, or you would not be here. Even so, it is my job to protect you. I want to protect you.”
How can I argue with that? My defenses lowered. I put my arm in his as we walked. “Maybe it is our job to protect each other and the Elders.” I paused. “I knew him, you know. His name was Orrick. His beloved, back in Constantinople, will be all the more angry at the Court. The fight will be personal for her now. By sending Orrick’s head to them, we are only continuing the cycle of violence and anger. There must be a better way!” I could feel the spark grow inside me. I am on to something, perhaps a better way to lead.
Elijah’s eyes narrowed and he nodded in agreement but he too appeared not to know what that “better way” might be.
“What did the Elders discuss after everyone left?” I asked.
“Mostly the same. They are debating about whether to attack Ramdasha now, before he is able to gain more power, or wait for him to start a war.”
“What did they decide?”
“The Court is divided. Some do not think he will ever be able to gain enough supporters to succeed in an all-out war against us. Others want our armies to set out at once. The debate is more heated now that he has attacked one of us on our lands.”
“What do you think we should do?” I asked.
“I think we should attack sooner rather than later.”
I nodded. Elijah was probably right — of course he was; he was always right — even though I did not like the thought of attacking first. “When will you return to Denmark?”
“I’m not going back without you. If you will not come with me, then I will stay here — as much as I can anyway.”
I took my arm from his and narrowed my eyes at him. Since I had admitted to Mary how I felt about Teller — which forced me to fully admit it to myself — I had to be honest with Elijah, too. I did not want to lose his friendship but I had to take that chance, as it would not be fair to lead him on.
“Elijah, I have to … talk to you about something. I care about you, you know that but I … hope that Teller will come for me one day.”
He pressed his lips together. The grey storm raged in his eyes. “I know. Where is he?”
“I have no idea and I do not know where to begin to look for him.”
“So you are going to wait for him?”
I nodded. The pain in Elijah’s eyes cut deeper than my enemy’s sword. “I don’t expect you to be able to be my friend and I definitely don’t want you to wait for me. But I would be grateful for your friendship.”
He took my forearm in his hand. “To friendship.”
I clasped his forearm in return. It was a gesture often made when making a bargain. I smiled with relief.
“You know, I like you in breeches.” A glint of humor crossed his face.
I glowered at him.
“Honestly,” he said. “If it helps you to better defend yourself, then I hope you always wear them. … Besides, they will deter potential suitors when I am away.”
I punched him in the arm, hard enough to knock a human down but he hardly swayed.
He laughed. “I know — just friends.”
Chapter 63 London 1262 A.D
Elijah stayed true to his word and remained in London. He slept in the royal guest quarters. Mary moved into Elizabeth’s room — undoubtedly to avoid me — so I had a room to myself again, which I did not particularly like. I missed Mary’s company.
It had been months since Orrick’s attack, when Elijah, Elizabeth and I were training a new recruit not to kill. His name was Chadwick. Elizabeth and I pulled Chadwick off a human when out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elijah draw his sword. I surveyed our whereabouts and quickly ascertained that we were surrounded by nine vampires. They slowly closed in on us. A burly figure appeared to be leading the way.
“Well, well. I should have guessed I would find you with your prince.” The large figure said the word “prince” as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Do you know him?” Elijah whispered.
I nodded but kept my eyes on the ominous figure. “Riddick, don’t do this. If you kill us, or even attack us, you will start a war — a war you cannot win.”
My words stopped his approach.
He must know that I am right. Killing Lord Chastellain’s son would bring down the full wrath of the North on Ramdasha.
“I have my orders and, besides, it will be a pleasure to kill the prince. If you surrender Val, I may be able to persuade Ramdasha to be lenient with you.”
I remembered my theory about Riddick; he did not care about politics. He was hoping to somehow get me back.
“Why don’t you do the wise thing and join the High Court of Elders?” I asked.
Elijah widened his eyes, as if to say, Are you mad?
Maybe I was.
Riddick chuckled. “And what would I get in return? You, perhaps?” His expression was mocking, hungry and dangerous all at once.
I shivered.
Elijah stepped forward.
I threw my arm across Elijah’s chest to stay him.
“I am not a prize to be won, Riddick. The Elders are more powerful than Ramdasha will ever be. If you fought for us, we could offer you power and riches beyond any you could gain in Constantinople.”
Elijah narrowed his eyes but what I said appealed to Riddick; he had a greedy glint in his eye. He paused for quite some time, then shook his head. With the wave of his hand, his fighters attacked.
As a man lunged toward me and our swords collided, I noticed that Riddick did not move to attack. He stood back. Soon there were two men assailing me. It
was all I could do to block their blows. I did not have a chance to issue a kill shot; I was only on defense. The sound of swords colliding was all that could be heard.
One of my attackers got close enough to issue a blow to my jaw with his fist. I fell to the ground and raised my sword over my head to block the blow to my neck. This left my torso exposed and the second man raised his sword with both hands to stab me. A knife, from who knows where, found his neck. He dropped his sword and fell to the ground.
This surprised my other attacker and I was able to thrust his sword away and plunge mine deep into his chest. My thoughts went to Elijah and Elizabeth. Elijah was defending himself against three men. I threw a knife from my leg scabbard into one of their backs. When I turned, I saw Riddick pulling the knife out of my attacker’s neck and with the knife he finished the job by cutting the man’s head off.
What is happening? I thought.
Riddick looked at me and nodded; he turned to fight off one of Elizabeth’s attackers. I moved to Elijah. He had killed another of his assailants and was fighting one on one with the last. He had it under control, so I went to the man who had my knife in his back and placed my sword to his throat.
“Will you pledge your support to the High Court of Elders?” I asked.
His eyes were glossy with pain. “Never,” he muttered. He swung his sword upward toward me but with the slightest movement of my arm, my sword went through his neck, leaving his body headless. It was frightening how easy and natural this was becoming. At least he was faithful to his cause until the end; I had to give him credit for that.
I looked for Elijah and saw a man coming up behind him as he fought off his last attacker.
“Look out!” I yelled.
In a flash, I threw my body into the man attacking Elijah from behind. We landed on the ground together. He punched me in the face, throwing me off him. This sent a fresh round of pain through my already aching jaw, causing me to drop my sword.
He thrust his sword down toward me and I rolled out of the way as the blow hit the ground where my head had been. When I looked up to see where he was, an impact from behind caused him to fall to the ground. I jumped to my feet and saw that the blow had come from Riddick — again. Elijah had finished off the last of his attackers. He charged after Riddick.
Of Lords and Commoners: Book 1 (Lords and Commoners Series) Page 26